Just Do It! 6 Health Benefits of Sex

We know, we know. You don’t exactly need additional reasons to be interested in having sex. But just in case your motivation has somehow fizzled, you should know that despite what they may have taught you in Catholic school, sex is not only great, it’s great for you. Here are six reasons you should do it more often. Thanks, science!

1. It boosts your immunity.According to a study at Wilkes University, nothing boosts your immunity quite like a nice hot cup of sex. The study showed that college students who got it on 1-2 times a week produced higher levels of immunoglobulin A, which, besides sounding like a Spider-Man villain, is also an antibody that strengthens your immune system. So yeah, you can think of sex as your nightly flu shot.

2. It increases your happiness.Researchers at Dartmouth College found that having sex weekly instead of monthly can increase your happiness. By how much? The equivalent of receiving a $50,000 raise! We’re not so sure about these researchers’ money math, but the point is clear: banging makes you happier.

3. It improves your heart health.The act of sex increases blood flow and heart rate, two total wins for your cardiovascular system. Furthermore, in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, researchers discovered that people who have sex two or more times per week reduce their risk of a fatal heart attack by 50%! Which means you might not be lying when you tell a girl, “If you don’t have sex with me, I’ll die.”

4. It reduces the risk of prostate cancer.As men, we always have to worry about prostate cancer. So, what can we do about it? Ejaculate. A study in The British Journal of Urology International found that ejaculating five or more times per week reduces the chance of developing prostate cancer by a full third. Better stock up on lotion…

5. It'll improve your teeth...… assuming you do a little kissing before you start in with the wild monkey sex, anyway. Kissing stimulates salivation, which cleans between your teeth and lowers the acidity in your mouth—the main cause of both tooth decay and bad breath. Which is maybe the best reason we’ve ever heard for extended foreplay.

6. It helps you sleep.Having trouble falling asleep at night? Forget childhood remedies like counting sheep or drinking a warm glass of milk. You just need to achieve a sweet “O” with your loved one. When you have an orgasm, you release oxytocin, which produces endorphins that de-stress your mind and body. Orgasms also release prolactin, a hormone associated with sleep. Translation: sex is basically stronger than NyQuil.